Olimpic medalist goes to Paris with high odds

Olympic silver medallist, two-time world champion, two-time European and junior world champion swimmer, and not incidentally a student of electrical engineering at the University of Pannonia. No more exams, but the thesis is still to be written. Understandably, however, Kristóf Rasovszky is not focusing on his thesis topic, the sizing of energy elements in residential buildings, but on the Paris Olympics, where he is determined to expand his medal collection. We also talked to Kristóf about the Olympics, the burden on the favourites and his Plan B on his "easy day": in addition to ten swimming sessions, he also has three land-based strength training sessions on the weekly "menu".

- The World Championships in Doha have just finished, what's your schedule until August, the Olympics?

- There are four World Cup races scheduled for this year, three of which will be completed by the beginning of June, followed by the European Championships in mid-June. In addition to ten swims and three land-based training sessions a week, I'll have two two-week training camps in Turkey before the Olympics, so I won't be home much.

- Do you know exactly in which categories we'll see you in Paris?

- The Olympic programme will not be finalised until June. The 10 km open water is an Olympic event, but unfortunately not the relay, although we have been on the podium at the World Championships for the last three years. In addition to the 10 km, I have three level times in the 400, 800 and 1500 freestyle in the pool, but which of these will be included in the programme will be decided later. I think that the 800m freestyle is a possibility, but we will have to think about it. We need to work out the days, if we do it, where and how we can train without hitting the 10 kilometres.

- It's incredible how close the finish can be even at 10 kilometres. How well have you been able to gauge the strength of the others this time? What kind of shape are your opponents in?

- That will be pretty much the picture in terms of the balance of power at the Olympics, which is what it was this time - except for the two Germans, who finished well behind the expected pace this time. So it's us, the two Hungarians, the Australians, the French, the Germans, with a Greek and an Israeli coming in - roughly the ten or so people who will be the only question at the Olympics is who finishes in which place. Of course you can pick out those who have already won a medal in a big world competition, like the two German guys, the Italians, I'm one of them, but they've both won in the French. So it's very difficult to say who will be the winner, especially as we're swimming in a river.

- You won a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics, and at the recent World Championships in Doha you brought the only gold medal for the Hungarian team. How much does that weigh on you?

- It is not a burden anymore, because I expect the same from myself. Fortunately, in the past few years I have always been able to go to the big competitions with more or less the same line-up: they expected me to win a medal. So it's a familiar burden - if you can call it that.

- If we talk in August, what would Kristóf in the future be happy with?

- After Tokyo, I would like to win a medal in Paris. If it's bronze or silver, I'll be happy with that, but if it's gold, obviously I couldn't do better. But if, God forbid, I finish fourth and I come out having done that much, that's all I could do, and that's all there was, then I'm not sure after the race, but I think I'll be satisfied in the long run. Luckily this year has started well, I still see it as very realistic to win a medal and I will do my best for that.

- Preparation is not just about physical training, it's also about mental training. Is someone helping you with that?

- I have been working with a sports psychologist for almost a year now. I think I was not bad in this area before, fortunately I didn't have any big problems. When it comes to competitions and sports, I have the right amount of ego and the right amount of competitive spirit to want to win. I think the basics were good, but I think at this level it's good to have someone to talk to about it, to add extra things. It's a matter of nuances. Even in the ten kilometres, there is a finish photo that decides the placings, so here it really depends on things like psychologist, nutrition, who is resting, how they slept the day before. So I'm trying to grab everything I can to add a little bit more.

- Do you have a mascot, a ritual, a point of reference before a race?

- Roughly the last two or three days of your daily routine is a mascot. I find it very difficult to deviate from it, I don't like it, I don't do it. It's my mainstay.

- Sport is obviously at the forefront of your life right now, but you're in the final stages of your university education. How do you see yourself in a few years time, what is your plan B for your life after graduating, after the sport?

- Fortunately, I am open to more ideas. For a long time, I couldn't imagine staying in sport when I finished my elite sport, but I've been moving more and more in the last eight or nine years towards staying in sport at some level. We've talked a lot about sports diplomacy, it's something that would suit me, and we'll see what the future brings. I'm confident that I have three or four years left in my career after the Olympics. Of course, it could be two, or it could be five. But I am absolutely concerned about the future. I would also love to be an entrepreneur, all I need is a good entrepreneurial idea. I am trying to stand on my own two feet so that I can move around more once I stop swimming.